Procedure of obtaining automotive fuels and the modified fuels obtained by means of this procedure

ABSTRACT

The invention refers to a procedure of obtaining automotive modified fuels with the help of this procedure based on treating the fuels resulting from petroleum refining with the HHO mixture. In full compliance with this invention, the procedure comprises treating the fuel with a HHO gaseous mixture coming up as a result of the water electrolysis, in the presence or in the absence of catalytic agents, at temperatures between 20 and 100 Celsius degrees, at pressures between 1 and 20 atmospheres, and as long as 0.2 to 8 hours.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a 35 USC 371 national stage application of international application PCT/RO2007/000015 filed 26 Jul. 2007, which claims priority from Romania application a 2006 00613 filed 1 Aug. 2006.

The present patent refers to a procedure of obtaining automotive fuels and the modified fuels obtained by means of this procedure.

The main objectives related to the petroleum refining consist in obtaining fuels as gasoline or Diesel that would grant an optimum operation of the spark ignition engines or the compression ignition engines, respectively, and that would also contribute to the pollution phenomenon generated by exhaust gases decreasing, namely by means of lowering-down the smoke index, the CO, CO2, hydrocarbon and NO_(x) emissions.

The already known procedures used for hydrocarbons process in view of obtaining automotive fuels consist in hydrogen treatment of petroleum fractions.

Thus, a procedure of obtaining Diesel-type fuels consists in treating the raw material resulted from the cracking process with hydrogen at high pressures and temperatures, in the presence of some catalytic agents. The first catalytic agent contains a metal belonging to the IV-th group and a metal belonging to the VIII-th group, placed on a non-acid support, and the second catalytic agent contains a metal belonging to the VI-th group and a metal belonging to the VII-th group, placed on a non-acid support (U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,985).

As concerns another procedure, further to treating the raw material with hydrogen in the presence of a catalytic agent of the large mash molecular sieve-type, having a “faujasita”-type structure and an alpha acidity less than 1, that contains a noble metal belonging to the VIII-th group, which favors the hydrogenation/hydro-cracking process of the aromatic and naphthenic compounds from the raw materials, there shall be obtained another diesel fuel with a superior Cetane number (U.S. Pat. No. 6,210,563).

The gasoline obtaining procedure consists in the hydrotreatment process of the mean fraction separated from natural gasoline by fractioning method. Thus, a gasoline with a low content of benzene will result, due to benzene transforming into cyclohexane which in turn may be subsequently isomerized in view of improving its octane number (U.S. Pat. No. 6,855,853).

A procedure to obtaining a low sulphur content gasoline consists in the diolefine selective hydrogenation process under special operating conditions by which the sulphur compounds that are present in the raw material are partially converted into heavier compounds while, the separation of the heavier fraction rich in sulphur and its hydrodesulphuration process being made on a specific catalytic agent (U.S. Pat. No. 7,052,598).

All these procedures are generally carried out at high temperatures and pressures within installations which involved large investments, and relatively high hydrogen consumption.

It is already known that an oxyhydrogen gas has been obtained based on the controlled dissociation, in electromagnetic field, of an alkaline aqueous solution. This gas, further on namely as “the HHO oxyhydrogen gas” is a mixture of 63-67% hydrogen and 30-35% oxygen. The special qualities of this gas result from its capability to react with materials of any nature, which justifies the efforts to promote it to different industrial applications (U.S. Pat. No. 6,689,258 B1 and the request published at the international level under No. WO2005076767 A3, Mr. Dennis J. Klein being the author of both of them).

The technical problem the invention solves consists in the automotive fuels physico-chemical properties improving with simultaneously diminishing of exhaust gas pollution level resulted when using these fuels.

The procedure of obtaining gas, as per the invention, comprises treating the fuel with a HHO oxy-hydrogen gas by its direct bubbling, either in the presence or in the absence of catalytic agents, in a discontinuous sequence, or in a continuous sequence, with or without re-circulating the gaseous mixture, in a temperature range of 20 to 100 Celsius degrees, and a pressure range of 1 to 20 atmospheres, for as long as 0.2 to 8 hours.

The gas obtained further to applying the invention procedure has a higher by 2% hydrogen and oxygen content and assures the cutting-down of smoke and particulate emissions.

As a consequence of hydrocarbons treating by the HHO oxyhydrogen gas is assured the improvement of the fuel burning characteristics as well as the decreasing of the burned gas pollution due to the HHO oxyhydrogen gas composition, which, according to the invention, enriches the treated fuel both in hydrogen reactive status, and in oxygen, as well.

This way, further to treating gasoline with the HHO oxyhydrogen gas, one can noticed the characteristics modification (density, boiling curve, chemical composition, and IR spectrum). The improvement of the gasoline characteristics that have been modified further to submitting it to the HHO oxyhydrogen gas treatment, is evident by what is concerned its chemical composition, the carbon, hydrogen and oxygen contents.

The procedure of obtaining gas by HHO oxyhydrogen gas treatment, in accordance with the invention, has the following advantages:

-   -   it reduces the CO and CO₂ emissions;     -   it reduces the hydrocarbon emissions;     -   it reduces the smoke number.

There are submitted 4 examples of achieving the procedure as per the invention, also in connection with the Figures that represent:

FIG. 1—the initial Diesel fuel composition, and its composition after the treatment with the HHO oxyhydrogen mixture by means of GC_MS;

FIG. 2—the smoke emissions while testing the initial Diesel fuel, and the smoke emissions after the treatment with the HHO oxyhydrogen gas in accordance with example 1;

FIG. 3—the particulate emissions while testing the initial Diesel fuel, and the particulate emissions after the treatment with the HHO oxyhydrogen gas in accordance with example 1.

EXAMPLE 1

A balloon that has been provided with a frit bubbling system, a pressure and HHO gas discharge control and adjustment device, shall be fed with 350 ml of Euro 3+ Diesel fuel. The HHO gas discharge shall be adjusted at 3.5 l/h, and the bubbling process shall be maintained at 25 Celsius degrees temperature and at atmospheric pressure in the case of open vessel, for as long as 30 minutes. The reaction product shall be then analyzed by determining the water content, the ash content, as well as the content in the following elements: carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.

Table 1 summarizes data that are characteristics of the initial fuels and of the final fuels after the HHO oxyhydrogen gas treatment with.

TABLE 1 Treated Treated Treated Initial Diesel Diesel Initial gasoline as Diesel fuel as fuel as Indicator gasoline per ex. 1 fuel per ex. 1 per ex. 2 Water content 0.11 0.13 0.20 0.20 0.20 Ash content 0.0027 0.0008 0.0064 0.0011 0.0011 Carbon 80.83 79.94 83.86 83.39 83.07 content, % Hydrogen 13.69 13.96 13.18 13.44 13.56 content, % Oxygen 2.61 2.84 0.12 0.23 0.31 content, %

The fuels chemical compositions were determined by means of the GC_MS method (see FIG. 1). FIG. 1 indicates an increase in hydrogen and oxygen content, and a decrease in the carbon content for the Diesel fuel. In FIG. 1, the chromatograms indicate significant modifications of the composition further to the treatment with the HHO oxyhydrogen mixture.

Table 2 presents the initial gasoline composition, and its composition after the treatment with the HHO oxyhydrogen gas by means of the GC method (chromatograms of the gasoline samples)

TABLE 2 B1 B2 B3 (after 15 (after 30 (after 45 Initial minutes minutes minutes Component gasoline bubbling) bubbling) bubbling) C2 C3 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 i-C4 0.11 0.11 0.11 0.10 n-C4 1.41 1.48 150 1.35 i-C5 14.8 15.74 15.75 15.36 n-C5 1.52 1.61 1.61 1.59 2.2-DMC4 0.27 0.28 0.28 0.28 CC5 + MTBE 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 2.3-DMC4 0.53 0.53 0.55 0.54 2-MC5 1.97 2.03 2.03 2.04 3-MC5 1.23 1.28 1.28 1.29 n-C6 1.35 1.38 1.39 1.37 MCC5 0.83 0.87 0.87 0.88 CC6 0.06 0.07 0.05 0.06 MCC6 0.09 0.25 0.09 0.10 Σ(C4 − C6) 7.78 8.81 8.52 8.17 Σ(iC7 + C7) 2.65 3.74 3.76 3.80 n-C7 1.14 1.06 1.06 1.08 Benzene 0.62 0.88 0.67 0.67 Phenyl methane 15.56 16.10 16.02 16.39 Et. Benzene 2.46 2.51 2.50 2.60 (p + m)-xylol 8.74 8.91 8.88 9.24 i-p benzene 0.23 0.23 0.23 0.24 n-p benzene 0.73 0.74 0.74 0.78 o-xylol 3.43 3.50 3.47 3.64 (p + m) et•tol 2.82 2.88 2.88 3.02 o-et•tol 0.74 0.74 0.75 0.79 1,3,5-TMBz 0.91 0.93 0.92 0.98 1,2,4-TMBz 3.35 3.4 3.39 3.59 1,2,3-TMBz 1.06 1.08 1.08 1.15 Σarom•grC9 5.79 5.65 5.92 6.28 ΣCo8+ 12.92 8.42 8.93 7.73 TAME 3.9 3.9 3.9 4.0 TOTAL 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Table 3 presents a comparative diesel engine test report obtained with a normal Diesel fuel and with the same Diesel fuel treated with the HHO oxyhydrogen gas.

TABLE 3 Operating parameter Variation (%) Diesel fuel treated with the Super Diesel fuel Euro HHO gas in accordance Super Diesel fuel 4 - Alpine Treated with with the volume ratio of 1:1 Euro 4 - Alpine the HHO gas in accordance relative to Not-treated Not-treated with the volume ratio of 1:1 Diesel fuel Comments Speed [rpm] 2600 1600 2600 1600 2600 1600 2600 1600 Power [HP] 65.42 43.74 67.89 44.39 +3.8  +1.015 Imp Imp Specific 209.65 207.07 212.46  206.62  −2.06* −0.5** Imp Imp consumption 205.34*  206.02** Gas 542 485 549    495    −0.4*   −2.06** Imp Imp temperature 540*   475**   SN smoke 2.5 1 1.8 0.9 −30*    −20**   Imp Imp number  1.4*  0.8** CO 0.04 0.07  0.04  0.04 −25*    −57.17** Imp Imp emissions  0.03*   0.03** CO2 8.5 8.4 8.7 8.3 −1.18*  −2.38** Imp Imp emissions  8.4*  8.2** HC 17 18 18   16   −5.88* −16.67** Imp Imp emissions 16*   15**  NO_(X) 1900 2483 1998    3035    −0.53* +16.79** Imp Wor emissions 1899*    2900**  

EXAMPLE 2

A metallic autoclave that has been provided with a frit bubbling system, a pressure and HHO gas discharge control and adjustment device, shall be fed with 350 ml of Euro 3+ Diesel fuel. The HHO gas discharge shall be adjusted at 3.5 l/h, and the bubbling process shall be maintained at 45 Celsius degrees temperature, and at 10 atmospheres pressure for as long as 30 minutes.

The reaction product is then analyzed by determining the water content, the ash content, as well as the content in the following elements: carbon, hydrogen and oxygen (see Table 1). One can be noticed a decrease in the carbon content of the Diesel fuel correlated with an increase in the hydrogen and oxygen content.

EXAMPLE 3

A balloon that has been provided with a frit bubbling system, a pressure and HHO gas discharge control and adjustment device, shall be fed with 350 ml of gasoline. The HHO gas discharge shall be adjusted at 3.5 l/h, and the bubbling process shall be maintained at 25 Celsius degrees temperature and at atmospheric pressure in the case of open vessel for as long as 30 minutes. The reaction product shall be then analyzed by determining the water content, the density, the chemical composition and the content in carbon, hydrogen and oxygen (see Table 1). The chemical composition of the mixture has been determined by means of the GC method. One can noticed a decrease in the carbon content of gasoline correlated with an increase in the hydrogen and oxygen content, as well as a modification of the chemical composition. Thus, the content in isopenthane, the content in the C4-C6 fraction and in the aromatic hydrocarbons increases, and the content in the C8+ fraction decreases, while the content in ethers remains the same.

EXAMPLE 4

The modified Diesel fuel testing as per Example 1 has been carried out on an engine test bench equipped with a direct injection diesel engine, 4 cylinders in line and a 17.5:1 compression ratio. The test bed is also provided with a speed transducer, a mass fuel consumption equipment, a smokemeter and a particles emission analyzer. The results related to the engine fueling behavior are presented in FIGS. 2 and 3. It shall be noticed that the smoke numbers and the particulate emissions decreased comparing against the situation when normal diesel fuel was used; however, the decrease values are more obvious at lower outputs of the engine. 

1-2. (canceled)
 3. A procedure of obtaining automotive fuels which comprises treating the fuel with a HHO oxy-hydrogen gas made from the water electrolysis, in the presence or in the absence of catalytic agents, in a discontinuous sequence, or in a continuous sequence, with or without re-circulating the gaseous mixture.
 4. The procedure according of claim 3, wherein the HHO oxyhydrogen gas is a mixture of 63-67% hydrogen and 30-35% oxygen.
 5. The procedure according of claim 3, wherein the temperature range in the bubbling process shell be between 20 and 100 Celsius degrees.
 6. The procedure according of claim 3, wherein the pressure range shall be between 1 and 20 atmospheres.
 7. The procedure according of claim 3, wherein the volume fraction shall be 0, 1-6 Nm³/m³ of the HHO oxyhydrogen gas to fuel ratio.
 8. The automotive fuels obtained by means of the procedure according to claim 3 comprising a hydrogen and oxygen content which is higher by 2% and assures a reduction of smoke particulate emissions. 